Study on lethal effects of essential oil and extract formulations of some medicinal plants on Monosteira alticarinata Ghauri

South Khorasan province is considered as the largest producer of jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) in Iran and the lives of a significant part of the locals depend on this product. The spread of jujube pest Monosteira alticarinata Ghauri in recent years, in addition to reducing the crop production, has threatened the health of jujube consumers due to the widespread use of chemical pesticides to control this insect at harvest time. Therefore, the possibility of controlling this pest with formulations of some medicinal plants extracts and essential oils was investigated for the first time in this study. In the laboratory phase, the formulations included Capsicum annuum L. extract (30%)+Allium sativum L. oil (10%), Mentha piperita L. essential oil (10%)+Pelargonium graveolens L’Hér. essential oil (10%), Syzygium aromaticum L. essential oil (30%), Azadirachta indica A. Juss. oil (5%)+Thymus vulgaris L. essential oil (5%), and A. indica oil (5%)+ Th. vulgaris essential oil (5%)+potassium soap (50%) with deltamethrin (0.1%) and water as positive and negative controls, respectively were assayed in bioassay test. The results showed the high efficiency of the 5thformulation, which after four hours with a concentration of 2% caused 100% death of the pest and placed in the same statistical group with deltamethrin (92.5% efficiency in killing the pest). The results of Polo Plus software showed LC50 at a concentration of 0.91% of 5thformulation. The results of field data analysis showed the relative controlling potential of the formulation used in the field surveys, so that after 24, 48, and 72 hours, the insect control percentage at a concentration of 2% of this formulation was 27.43, 43.99, and 56.24%, respectively. These results showed that the fifth herbal formulation (2%) had a good ability to control M. alticarinata and could be used as an alternative to common chemical pesticides after official registration.